Mr Rooster

Dear Mr Rooster, I have never had the pleasure
Of meeting you or seeing you and your splendid feathers
But I do hear you early every morning with the sun rising low
That is when insistently and persistently you decide to crow

I live in the inner city and never would have dreamed
A cock-a-doodle rooster was just not part of my scheme
Maybe it's time to seriously rethink your location
And head off to the country on a permanent vacation

The air is clean and fresh out there
There's many hens I'm sure you're aware
You can crow and crow from dawn to dusk
And satiate your insatiable lust

It's Easter Sunday and I've just walked past your yard
I saw a grave with a small cross and on it stuck a card
I'm not certain if it was placed there ensuring I would weep
Because the words on this card say, 'I died so that you could sleep'

(Sydney, Australia - 2005)

Alessandra Liverani